Top 5 Wednesday: Favourite Character Tropes

Hello lovelies – it’s Wednesday so that means it’s time for another Top 5 Wednesday!

Top 5 Wednesday’s group, which is a group on Goodreads created by Lainey from the booktube channel, GingerReadsLainey. This is open to any Booktuber or blogger that would like to get involved. Basically, there’s a list of topics every Wednesday and you find five things that fit well for the topic.

For anyone that isn’t sure what a ‘trope’ is: it’s a theme or device that pops up on a regular basis, and are predictable or overused. Often they can make people’s eyes roll because they’re seen so frequently but there’s always some that we love nonetheless. Here are my favourite character tropes:

Mean Girls That Are Actually Fronting

I see this one more often when I’m reading chick-lit novels. She’s the girl that tries to mess you up at work, or the girl that is trying to steal your boyfriend. They’re portrayed as really catty, bitchy and downright evil sometimes. However, later on in the novel there’s a moment when the protagonist sees through their cold exterior and sees they’re actually hurting or have insecurities. They’re fronting their feelings with icy stares and stinging remarks. I like this trope because it really does reflect reality in some sense. After all, every one has something going on.

Two Best Friends Fall In Love

We’ve all read at some point, the girl is desperately searching for Mr Right and overlooks the most perfect person for her – which is usually the kind, sweet guy she’s been best friends with for years. No doubt we all see it coming, because we can see what the protagonist is missing. We all watch as they stumble through awkward dates and the not-so-romantic moments, only to fall into the arms of the guy they’ve had hanging around for some time. This one does annoy me sometimes, if they’re not written well or in interesting situations. When done well, they’re some of the most heartwarming books I’ve read. We always want a happily-ever-after, right?

Loved One That Stabs You In The Back

Let’s be fair, this is probably one of the most betraying moments for our protagonist. In that moment they realise the person they trusted, and cared for has actually been working against them. They either have an agenda, or they’ve felt in the shadow of the protagonist so they stick the knife in the back. I’ve seen this often in chick-lit, and sometimes even in dystopian. It’s again, a frightening sense of realism as we’ve probably all had the moment when someone’s mask falls off. I like this trope because it’s ever so dramatic and can spark up quite a lot of emotions – in both the reader and the protagonist.

Love Triangles

My goodness, these have been used to death – haven’t they? They’re a trope that is definitely up there with the most re-occuring. In so many books, we have a protagonist that just can’t make up their mind about who they want to be with. This is another trope that can be terribly frustrating if not written well. We’re all likely to get fed up with the whiny character that has the ever so traumatic time of choosing between two people that care about them. Especially if they flit back and forth so often. When written well, these can be very addictive to read. They can be dramatic, and heart wrenching – especially if the person we’re rooting for isn’t the chosen one.

Instalove

Out of all of the tropes I’ve mentioned – this is the one that absolutely does my head in. So when I say this is a favourite trope, I say it with sarcasm. I’m sure we’ve all come across those books – particularly in YA novels – where the protagonist spots someone across the room, they briefly chat and next thing you know they’re madly in love. The time frame is what bothers me the most, how on earth can you meet someone and be in love with them, without really knowing them? It’s the lack of distinction between lust and love that drives me nuts. I can see in YA that it’s used to highlight the carefree, dive right in attitude of the age group but even then… sigh.

I think a lot of these tropes can work and be really engaging, but it really depends on how well they’re written. I’m interested to see what tropes you like, or even don’t like. Check back next Wednesday for another Top 5 Wednesday post, and that topic will be: Favourite Books Maps

Definitely, it’s frustrating at times. I’m sure one of them would know they had romantic feelings, in which case, why wouldn’t they have mentioned it? Depending on how the author writes this plot twist, it can make me
roll my eyes or really engage me.

Insta-love is a pet peeve, it can absolutely drive me nuts! I’ve found it somewhat a rarity now to find one that doesn’t make me roll my eyes.
Love triangles, depending on how the author depicts the relationship, can work well. I think it’s the flakey characters that get on my nerves. The one in The Selection trilogy by Kiera Cass is an example of one that drove me nuts!

Absolutely agree. It bugs me most when a character drops whoever they’re with to chase after someone they barely know, just because they’re gorgeous. I just want to shake some characters and tell them to get a grip!
Thanks for the comment!